


the countdown

by tommyglued



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, M/M, also if you haven't read the fever code yet u might wanna skip the part x., everything else is spoiler-free, honestly there's nothing more to tag, i just changed the way their story flows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 08:47:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8395159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommyglued/pseuds/tommyglued
Summary: a writing challenge i found on pinterest→"write a story that involves a countdown. start the story at 10 and end it with 1."--or, what newt and thomas' relationship might have looked like if jdash decided to make them a thing :')





	

**Author's Note:**

> a big shoutout to my life saver [lyca](https://newtmos.tumblr.com) who proofread this and corrected my dumb mistakes♥  
> also, for people who might have read my previous works: i was SpaceAngel, just so u know it's me :')

x. _ten_ years he'd worked for wicked, and never had he gotten a chance to tell him how much he meant to him.  
tight hugs, secrets whispered in the dark, sneaking out to explore the forgotten corridors, hands brushing as they walked side by side. breathy laughs, stolen glances as they parted, understanding each other without saying a word. he remembered it all.  
accusatory look rich with loathing shattered his heart like glass. they never got to say goodbye, nor did he forgive himself for being so naive for trusting wicked.  
ten years his soul rotted in that complex of sins, and now he succumbed in misery as he watched him find, then loose hope in a pointless experiment he helped put him into.  
_i'm coming for you, newt._ a promise to righten his wrongs. a promise to save him, to save _them._  
  
ix. _nine_ crinkles existed in the corners of newt's eyes, marking lines on his skin like miniature rays of sunshine. he could see them clearly when newt came close, just before he'd put his lips next to his ear. in the vast void of his memories, an echo rang far, far away; he tried to decipher its whispers, make the voices into a shape, but the more intently he listened, the quieter they got.  
_this seems familiar_ , he thought. _maybe we knew each other before the maze._  
_maybe we've been in love._  
  
viii. _eight_ beauty marks were spread over his skin, like a constellation of black stars. he traced imaginary paths between them, every time a different combination, all of them mapped and treasured in his mind.  
  
vii. _seven_ days he'd known him, but it felt like much more. there was a detailed history to them, removed from their brains against their will, but not even advanced medical technology could erase the bond that went deeper than any science could reach. minds might've forgotten, but hearts never could.  
  
vi. _six_ times he held his hand, warm palm against his own, either out of fear, worry or as a reassurance that he was real, that _they_ were real; it made his heart quieter and mind clearer.  
once outside the maze, freedom got them high on hope and happiness; who knew, maybe they'd find a real home at last. but those were foolish hopes and dreams: they knew wicked, how could they have fallen for their tricks so easily?  
the scorch was hell on earth, but they trudged through it arm in arm, picking each other up when they were about to fall. in the end, they realized: what they needed to find wasn't a place they could call home, and all because they'd already found it in one another.  
  
v. _five_ times newt's lips met his, leaving signatures of their love on his chin. there was no time for romance in the cruel world they lived in, but they stole a few moments for themselves as fire illuminated their eyes, in times of happiness and goodbyes.  
  
iv. _four_ months wicked tossed them around like toys, but not even an escape could free them from the consequences of taking part in an experiment. a gale of hatred raged inside him as he was constantly reminded of wicked purposefully infecting his beloved one, all for the cure that would never be discovered. he was willing to do anything, _anything_ at all, just to see newt's mouth curl up with joy once more, his eyes clear from madness.  
  
iii. _three_ words they never got to say, but constantly assured each other they meant them from the bottom of their hearts. he wished he'd said them earlier, before tears streamed down his cheeks as he gripped the gun glued to a forehead it should have never touched.  
_i love you._  
_i can't do this._  
  
ii. _two_ lives, two regrets. he seemed to live in a pile of wrongs he'd never make right.  
  
i. _one_ boy he loved and lost to his own hands. one wound in his chest that would never heal. one murder he would never get over.  
one love he would never forget.


End file.
